Background & History of Fort Centre

Fort Centre was established over three decades ago to offer a
dedicated service to people with disabilities and unique learning
needs.

Originally based on the site close to a fort at Desertmartin, the renowned centre has
grown into one of Ireland’s largest and best known centres for disabled
riding.

The riding club then moved to its new location at Craigmore Road,
Maghera in 1978. Several phases of expansion have witnessed the
popular riding centre develop from a field generously donated by
Maghera farmer the late John Quinn into a state of the art facility
incorporating an indoor riding arena.

In 1982 the Fort Centre building was officially opened by former Olympic gold medal winner Dame Mary Peters. At the suggestion of founding member John McCloskey, the Committee of the day adopted the name Fort Centre to reflect the new
facilities roots.

Further expansion in 1998 saw the opening of a massive indoor arena
which ensured the centre could operate comfortably to full capacity
for 12 months a year.

Today the Fort Centre is maintained by a team of dedicated
volunteers who put the care and welfare of the people who use the
facility to the fore.

The committed approach of the volunteer staff has helped the centre
held up as a model for other disabled riding associations across
Ireland and Britain.